How much power would you need....
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How much power would you need....
to drive a car and think WOW this is really fast? Like you imagine a ferrari to be when your a kid
The reason I say this is my car feels quite quick but thats it. My mates y-reg M5- Quite quick. I test drove an m3- not much quicker than mine. My friends RX7 same as mine. A driving experience in a 911 turbo- quicker but not like I thought it would be.
The reason I say this is my car feels quite quick but thats it. My mates y-reg M5- Quite quick. I test drove an m3- not much quicker than mine. My friends RX7 same as mine. A driving experience in a 911 turbo- quicker but not like I thought it would be.
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A totally stripped down Nova with 250/300bhp would give u that feeling or a Skyline with maybe 8 or 900bhp. It just depends so much on the weight/build quality/handling of the car.
#4
i guess it depends on the car,weight etc.but in say a classic scoob any thing over 400 bhp must be quick.
i allways remember my tuned mk2 16v astra,it felt very fast but that was 18 years ago.love to see how it would compare these days.it weighed very little and was'nt far off 200bhp
i allways remember my tuned mk2 16v astra,it felt very fast but that was 18 years ago.love to see how it would compare these days.it weighed very little and was'nt far off 200bhp
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I know what your saying. i remember going in RS2000's assorted escorts etc. and a 3.0s Capri which to me as a passenger felt quick. after a brief spin in a 928s i absolutely cacked it. But as i have grown older and driven faster cars i have yet to have been in a car where i have thought.... Fooooook thats quick.
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to drive a car and think WOW this is really fast? Like you imagine a ferrari to be when your a kid
The reason I say this is my car feels quite quick but thats it. My mates y-reg M5- Quite quick. I test drove an m3- not much quicker than mine. My friends RX7 same as mine. A driving experience in a 911 turbo- quicker but not like I thought it would be.
The reason I say this is my car feels quite quick but thats it. My mates y-reg M5- Quite quick. I test drove an m3- not much quicker than mine. My friends RX7 same as mine. A driving experience in a 911 turbo- quicker but not like I thought it would be.
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The only car I've driven and thought, "wow, this is more power than you need!" is a TVR Griffith 500. Only 340bhp, but quite light and low. Mind you, the most powerful car I've driven is a 400bhp Jag XKR (both old and new).
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Do you know what I mean though. When we were younger and as people have said you got in big engined cars etc or gti models and you thought wow! Now, I just cant seem to get as thrilled! My gf dad has a 5.6 SEC AMG MERC and it sounds like a jet but still doesn't feel THAT fast.
I have been a passenger on a 900 fireblade. That was nippy!lol
I have been a passenger on a 900 fireblade. That was nippy!lol
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GSXR tho is quick, bloody scary tho, I do know what you mean drove a Brand new Audi S8 and didn't feel quick but there is that much noise reduction components and electronic gadgets fitted to the suspension that , even at 155mph it will still only feel its going 60mph
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350ish bhp as long as its in the right car.....
less than 550kgs dry + driver
plan mental the fastest car i've every been in by a country mile!
less than 550kgs dry + driver
plan mental the fastest car i've every been in by a country mile!
Last edited by badgerface123; 26 May 2008 at 09:09 PM.
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#14
Do you know what I mean though. When we were younger and as people have said you got in big engined cars etc or gti models and you thought wow! Now, I just cant seem to get as thrilled! My gf dad has a 5.6 SEC AMG MERC and it sounds like a jet but still doesn't feel THAT fast.
I have been a passenger on a 900 fireblade. That was nippy!lol
I have been a passenger on a 900 fireblade. That was nippy!lol
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When I was about 18 I was taken out in an evo 4 that was around 420bhp and I wet my pants! Thats what I always remember/look back to. Although at the time I had a 1.2 clio and anything over a 1.6 was super quick so in actual fact it was prob nowhere near as fast as I thought! - Rapid all the same. Thats the feeling I want now!!!!!!!!
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Yes, I was following that thread mate. I know what you are saying but I feel dissapointed I think, by cars that are classed as 'FAST' once I have been in them. I probably put it down to computer games! Need for speed in particular! haha.
When I was about 18 I was taken out in an evo 4 that was around 420bhp and I wet my pants! Thats what I always remember/look back to. Although at the time I had a 1.2 clio and anything over a 1.6 was super quick so in actual fact it was prob nowhere near as fast as I thought! - Rapid all the same. Thats the feeling I want now!!!!!!!!
When I was about 18 I was taken out in an evo 4 that was around 420bhp and I wet my pants! Thats what I always remember/look back to. Although at the time I had a 1.2 clio and anything over a 1.6 was super quick so in actual fact it was prob nowhere near as fast as I thought! - Rapid all the same. Thats the feeling I want now!!!!!!!!
400 hp is plenty fast. I was doing 12.3 quarters with that amount of power. top end yes not as fast as supercars but in gear acceleration was astounding. take a look at the back of evo magazine and see just how many cars are doing 12 second 1/4 miles. about 1 % of them. A mate of mine used to work for a mitsi garage and he was taken out in an FQ400 (£50K IIRC) and when he came back was asked if that was not the fastest car he had been in. My friend, who has been working with the mechanic who tunes my car, said "well actually no it wasn't" and the driver was gobsmaked. I suppose if you are coming from a clio 172 or a civic type r or even an unmodified subaru then 350-400ish is going to feel very fast, not just the 0-60, 0 -100 but the 2nd - 6th through the gears is going to feel savage. my 4th and 5th gear feel like 2nd in a normal subaru, if the road is slightly greasy i have to be very, very careful as full throttle even in these gears the car is squirming all over the road. As i said people just don't realise what they have when they have and always want more, but when is enough, enough? 600 bhp, 700 bhp, 800bhp. movies like the fast and the furious make 10 second cars seem like an everyday occurance when in fact they are like rocking horse poo. people bolt on an air filter, downpipe, maybe a bigger turbo but forget about brakes, suspension, gear linkages to cope with all the extra power. don't forget those decals add 20 bhp. i just don't say anything anymore. when asked if my car is fast i say she is quick enough. i have never rolling roaded my car so i say roughly about 550 - 600 bhp which i get from my 1/4 mile terminals (usually a good indicator of power).
most people would crap themselves if they found out what i spent on my car but no-one is willing to put thier hands in there pockets and fork out for a really fast car. i am an individual, not a tuning company with a big budget behind me. my car has taken me 5 years to get where it is now. i have a good job but also a mortage, bills like anyone else. i don't have unlimited funds in which to modify my car so i take the advice of my mechanic who has become a good friend (we share a mutual appeciation for fast cars). he advised what would be good to do next to get that bit more power out of the car reliably without costing an arm and a leg.
I am lucky that my car is well known over here and no one tries to race me anymore. i still get asked questions, still take it to shows and get a few interested people who like my car for what it is, a very special piece of mechanical magic. "Can i get a run in her mate?" errrrrrr...........nope, only me and my mechanic friend get to drive it.
maybe i am just getting old, maybe i should just sell up and buy a rover 75. the pipe and slippers await
#18
remember though after a while you get used to it, my old cossie was around 350bhp, went from a 1300 escort to a 350bhp cossie and yes that fekt REAL fast
then after a while it felt normal, went out in a cossie with 400bhp and it felt ALOT faster,,,, went back in mine and it felt slow pmsl
then i drove my old escort and that felt like time stood still,,,,,, used it for a bit as the cossie was in the garage,,,,,, went out in the cossie after a month and forgot just how quick it was and almost wrote it off
so heres a hint for you,,, if you get bored of your cars power park it up for a month and drive a small shopping car,,,, then when you go back into it it feels fast again
oh once my cossies wastegate stuck shut,,,,, now THAT was VERY VERY VERY fast, got from luton to highgate in 20 mins due to me enjoying it soo much
then after a while it felt normal, went out in a cossie with 400bhp and it felt ALOT faster,,,, went back in mine and it felt slow pmsl
then i drove my old escort and that felt like time stood still,,,,,, used it for a bit as the cossie was in the garage,,,,,, went out in the cossie after a month and forgot just how quick it was and almost wrote it off
so heres a hint for you,,, if you get bored of your cars power park it up for a month and drive a small shopping car,,,, then when you go back into it it feels fast again
oh once my cossies wastegate stuck shut,,,,, now THAT was VERY VERY VERY fast, got from luton to highgate in 20 mins due to me enjoying it soo much
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Ginge what you said is very true, cars always feel fast at first and then you become acustom to the speed and wonder why it almost feels slow again, When I first bought my last car a rover 220 coupe turbo, I though that was fast and it was relatively, but soon became used to it and wanted faster, so I bought my scooby WRX, and first couple of times driving it once fixed, it felt like a beast but once again you get used to it. with what you said about driving a smaller car, i also find it helps if you drive your own car slowly for a week not using any power and just dordelling around, then when you do come to use the power again it feels awesome.
Another thing I find helps it feel fast is having built up things around. i.e i cross the severn bridge quite alot and occassionally have a blast from the gates, but as its such an open space it can feel quite slow. but find a street lined with trees etc and do the same and it feels bloody fast.
to end I dont think we will ever find anything fast enough, the faster we go the faster we want to go, as proven on top gear modern road sports cars of today can keep up with older rally cars. so roll on twenty years and lets hope they can prove that again.
Another thing I find helps it feel fast is having built up things around. i.e i cross the severn bridge quite alot and occassionally have a blast from the gates, but as its such an open space it can feel quite slow. but find a street lined with trees etc and do the same and it feels bloody fast.
to end I dont think we will ever find anything fast enough, the faster we go the faster we want to go, as proven on top gear modern road sports cars of today can keep up with older rally cars. so roll on twenty years and lets hope they can prove that again.
#20
when asked if my car is fast i say she is quick enough. i have never rolling roaded my car so i say roughly about 550 - 600 bhp which i get from my 1/4 mile terminals (usually a good indicator of power).
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A few years ago I went to Beford Autodrome and drove the following:
Evo VI Tommi Mak
Lotus Exige
VX220
Clio Cup
Cateram
Formula Palmer Audi
The last one felt the quickest because of the response, noise, how much it gripped and how rough it was. Perception has a lot to do with it and whether or not you are the driver or passenger...
But I think anything with 500 bhp/t or more will be plenty fast enough
Evo VI Tommi Mak
Lotus Exige
VX220
Clio Cup
Cateram
Formula Palmer Audi
The last one felt the quickest because of the response, noise, how much it gripped and how rough it was. Perception has a lot to do with it and whether or not you are the driver or passenger...
But I think anything with 500 bhp/t or more will be plenty fast enough
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To answer the question I think someting that accelerates as fast as a 911 turbo (and I don't mean just to 60) is a great benchmark for the 'supercar thrill'
So basically something that does 0-100 in under 10secs is in the 'wow' bracket. Funnily enough figures for the 996TT which was my benchmark to hit is exactly that.
0-100 in 10.0 and Power to weight of 300HP/ton.
That was my goal for my subaru, and I'm there or thereabouts now. IMO 300HP/ton is all you need for the road.
So basically something that does 0-100 in under 10secs is in the 'wow' bracket. Funnily enough figures for the 996TT which was my benchmark to hit is exactly that.
0-100 in 10.0 and Power to weight of 300HP/ton.
That was my goal for my subaru, and I'm there or thereabouts now. IMO 300HP/ton is all you need for the road.
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My car in it's current state of tune feels fast. When i first had it done i was really impressed. Now, i'm used to it and doesn't seem so. Don't get me wrong though, it needs full concentration.
I think about 450/450 would be enough. (he says)
EDIT: I've taken my brother out for a spin and me old deary. They both got out the car in shock. Neither of them could swallow, their mouths were so dry from excitement/nerves/fear.
I think about 450/450 would be enough. (he says)
EDIT: I've taken my brother out for a spin and me old deary. They both got out the car in shock. Neither of them could swallow, their mouths were so dry from excitement/nerves/fear.
Last edited by GazTheHat; 27 May 2008 at 01:03 PM.
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Damn !
50 bhp short ?
NOS ?
DunxC
P.S. Lucky to be given a ride in a 600 bhp Skyline, now that went from 60 to 140 so fast I thought it was reading in KPH ! LOL
50 bhp short ?
NOS ?
DunxC
P.S. Lucky to be given a ride in a 600 bhp Skyline, now that went from 60 to 140 so fast I thought it was reading in KPH ! LOL
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#30
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I'd say its a twin busa Westfield to me. Used to have a Westy myself - 200+ HP and 600kg - that was pretty quick, I can only imagine what the orange one is like